Direction-controlling mechanism for guns



Sept. 11?, 1946.

e. P. s. CROSS CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR GUNS DIRECTION? Filed May 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [mien 2W Garra 1: PO. Crow 5 w wiorne 1 pt e. P. s. CROSS DIRECTION-CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR GUNS Filed May 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 CONTROLLING MECHANISM FOR GUNS DIRECTION- Filed May 25, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Sept. 17, 1946 DIRECTION-CONTROLLING MECHANISM F OR GUN Garrett P. S. Cross, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 25, 1944, Serial No. 537,301

'7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to mechanism controlling the direction in which a gun may be pointed, so that chosen objects, such as structures upon a vessel on which the gun is mounted, may be protected from the discharge. It is particularly concerned with such mechanism applicable to guns having mounts, the supporting columns in which are rotatable as well as verticall movable.

A known manner of controlling gun-direction involves'securing in a fixed position on the nonrotatable column of a gun-mount a stop member or cam, contoured in accordance with the objects to be protected and having movable with the gun a follower device, which turns with the gun upon the column and by contact with the cam will limit the field of fire. Such an arrangement cannot directly be applied to a gun, in view of the column of the mount being rotatable as well as capable of being raised bodily, since under these conditions the stop-cam has no fixed angular relation about a vertical axis and control of the gun would be lost. An object of my invention is to overcome thi difficulty and to retain control of direction when there is both rotation and vertical movement of the gun-supporting column. This object I achieve by combining with a mount, including a pedestal, a column rotatable and vertically movable therein and a trunnionbracket fixed to the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, a cam or other stop means movable vertically with the column independently of the pedestal and having a direction-limited surface, means, preferably carried by the stop means and by the pedestal, for preventing rotation of the stop means with the column, and a follower movable with the trunnionbracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-operating with the limiting surface of the stop means. By this arrangement, the stop means is kept in operative relation to the follower, regardless of the position of the column, The follower is shown as movabl in a casing attached to the bracket and is moved toward and from the limiting surface by a connection to the gun-trunnion. In the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, a support is secured to the vertically movable and rotatable portion or column of the mount carrying the trunnion-bracket, and upon this support rests a carrier for the stop-cam from which carrier depends retaining means, such as a pivoted flap or flaps, which engage means for projecting from the pedestal to prevent rotation of the carrier. To permit free vertical movement of the carrier with the gun, the flaps may be provided with longitudinal ways in which lie rolls rotatable upon the pedestal.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one of the several possible forms of m invention,

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation th directioncontr'olling mechanism associated with a gun and its mount;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of such directioncontrolling mechanism;

Fig. 3, a horizontal section through one of the retaining members;

Fig. 4, a vertical sectional detail upon the line IV--IV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, ,a perspective view of the support for the cam-carrier Fig, 6, a broken vertical section upon the line VIVI of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7, a sectional detail on the line VII-VII of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8, a broken front elevation of the trunnionbracket, with the follower device of this invention;

Fig. 9, a side elevation looking from the left of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10, a broken top plan view of the trunnionbracket and cam-assembly.

In Fig. 1, and with portions in greater detail in Fig. 6, appears the mount M of a gun G. The mount includes a vertical pedestal Hi, arranged axially in which is a cylinder l2, both being furnishing a gun-supporting column. Attached to the upper extremity of the piston by screws i8 is a bracket 29, upon which the cradle 21 of the gun G is pivoted to swing in elevation by trunnions 22. A protective skirt it depends from the trunnion-bracket 29 over the elements beneath it. lhe gun is movable in azimuth as a result of the turning of the piston in the cylinder by the gun-crew. Said gun may further be raised and lowered bodily by the mount through hydraulic mechanism (not illustrated) situated within the pedestal and acting upon the piston.

To control the direction in which the gun may be pointed and thus protect surrounding objects, there is a stop member in the form of a cam-assembly C having a surface 26, the contour of which limits the direction of the gun, and a cooperating follower F provided with a projection 28 for contact with said surface. The follower is so arranged that it shares in all the movements of the gun, and the cam-assembly must be maintained in an unvarying vertical relation to the trunnion-bracket 2i) and fixed in angular relation about a vertical axis. To thus mount the camassembly, there is clamped by the screws l8, between the top of the piston I6 and the under surface of the trunnion-bracket 20, a supporting sleeve 30 having at the bottom a downwardly and outwardly curved flange 32, Near the periphery of this flange two sets of symmetrically spaced rolls are rotatable, one set 34 about hori zontal spindles 36 and the other set 38 about vertical spindles 48, all the spindles being fixed in the sleeve, Resting upon the rolls 34' is the separable fiange 42 of a cam-carrier 44. The internal surface of a vertical Wall 45 of the carrier contacts with the rolls 38, and is thereby" held against lateral displacement. Upon a horizontal flange d3 of the carrier rest cam sections 49, Which may be attached by screws 53 to the wall 48, and which have on their upper edges the movement-limiting surface 25 previously mentioned. The supporting" surface of the flange d3 may serve as a portion of the cam-assembly, it furnishing a continuation of the surface 25.

To hold the cam-carrier 45 and assembly against rotation with the sup-porting sleeve 3% and the trunnion-bracket 20, there is attached by screws 51 to the pedestal Iii near its top a downwardly'and outwardly curved plate 52. At the lower edge of the plate is a plurality of downwardly projecting lugs 3, which may be three in number. is a spindle 53, about which is rotatable a" roll 53 having at its outer extremitya rounded flange 69. Upon the flange d8 of the cam-carrier 44 are symmetrically spaced pairs of lugs 62, 62, preferably three in number, each pair having pivoted between them a retaining member for the carrier in the form of a flap 84, Extending longitudinally of each retaining member are ways 65 (Fig. 3) to receive and overlap the inner side of the flange of one of the rolls 55.

The follower device F (Figs. 8 and 9) may consist of a slide l3, from which the contact member 28 projects over the cam-surface 26, the slide being guided in a casing i2 attached by screws it to one side of the trunnion-bracket 283, thus turning in azimuth therewith. The upper extremity of the slide is recessed to receive the rounded end of one arm of a bell-crank-lever l6 fulcrumed at 18 upon the casing. An' upwardly extendin arm of the bell-crank is joined by a link 89 to a crankarm 82 fixed to one of the trunnions 22 of the gun G. It will be seen that, as the gun is turned in azimuth, the follower-projection moves along the cam-surface 2'5, and, as the gun is swung in elevation, said projection is carried toward and from the cam-surface; Since the rolls 34 of the supporting sleeve 39' are movable with the trunnion-bracket 29, they maintain the cam-carrier M and the cam-assembly, which they support, always in the same vertical relation to the follower device F, which is also carried by the bracket. Further, because the rolls of' the supporting sleeve permit free relative movement of rotation between it and the cam-carrier, and because the engagement of the retaining memhere 64 with the pedestal-rolls 56 prevents rotation of said cam-carrier, this is held against angular movement as it, with its retaining members, rises and fall with the trunnion-bracket under the influence of the hydraulic mechanism, as already explained, The relation of the contour of the stop-cam to the objectsto beprotected, therefore remains unaifected by the compound movement of the column IS; The pivoting Projecting horizontally from each lug 4 of the members 64 and the freedom for play of the ways 56 upon the roll-flanges 60, allow the vertically moving members to accommodate themselves to the inclination of the outer Wall of the pedestal ID. a

To secure in different angular positions the gun against movement in azimuth, there is about the top of the cylinder l2 a set of spaced depressions 84. Any one of these depressions may be engaged by a spring-plunger 86, movable in a vertical bore througha boss 83upon the periphery of the support-flange 32 (Fig. 4). A circular pipe-rail 952 is shown attached to the cam-carrier, as to the lugs 62:, this; receiving contact of the bag for the cases'of discharged cartridges which may be carried by the gun-cradle 2|, this rail acting as a fender against which the bag may swing.

Having. described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l.- The combination with amount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable ver tically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, of stop means mounted upon the column independently of the pedestal and inproximity to the trunnion-bracket, said stop means being movable vertically with the column and having a movement-limiting surface, means for preventing rotation of the stop means with the column, and a follower movable with the trunnion-bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the" gun and co-ope'rating with the limiting surface of the-stop means.

2. The combination-wither mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to'the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, of stop" means mounted upon the column independently of the pedestal and in proximit to the trunnion-bracket, said stop means being movable vertically with the column and having a movement limiting surface; co-o-perating means carried by the stop means and by the pedestal' for preventing rotation of the stop means withthe column, and a follower movable with the trunnion-bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-operating with the limiting surface of the stop means.

3. The combination with a mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the column, and a gun trunnio'ned upon the bracket, of stop meansmovable vertically with the column, meansfor preventing rotation of the stop means, a casing attached to the bracket, a follower movable in the casing in co-operation with the stop means, and means for connecting the-follower to the gun-trunnion tomove toward and from the stop means.

4'. The combination with a mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertlcally therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the top of the column, and a gun trunnioned upon' the bracket, of a support secured to the bodily movement, and a follower movable with' the bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-cperating with the stop"- cam-i 5. The combination with a mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the top of the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, of a support secured to the column and having rolls rotatable about horizontal and vertical axes, a carrier supported by the rolls, a stop-cam mounted upon the carrier, retaining means depending from the carrier, means projecting from the pedestal into engagement with the retaining means for preventing rotation of the carrier while permitting it bodily movement, and a follower movable with the bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-operating with the stop-cam.

6. The combination with a mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the top of the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, of a sleeve clamped between the column and the bracket and having an outwardly extending flange, a cam-carrier supported upon the flange, interengaging means upon the carrier and pedestal for preventing rotation of the carrier with the sleeve, and a follower movable with the bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-operating with the cam-carrier.

7. The combination with a mount including a pedestal, a column rotatable and movable vertically therein and a trunnion-bracket fixed to the top of the column, and a gun trunnioned upon the bracket, of a sleeve clamped between the column and the bracket and having an outwardly extending flange, a cam-carrier supported upon the flange, flaps pivoted upon the carrier extending along the pedestal, said flaps being provided with longitudinal ways, rolls rotatable upon the pedestal and lying in the Ways, and a follower movable with the bracket and upon said bracket in the movement of the gun and co-operating with the cam-carrier.

GARRETT P. S. CROSS. 

